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Tampa Bay Rays’ Joey Butler lines an RBI single off Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 23, 2015, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier scored on the hit. ... more >

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - R.A. Dickey had a good outing in a tough defeat following a difficult stretch.

Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer won his sixth straight decision, allowing three hits over eight innings in a 4-3 victory over Dickey and the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Dickey (3-7), who went on the bereavement list late last week following his father’s death and was activated Monday, gave up three runs and eight hits over seven innings.

“It’s been a tough week,” Dickey said. “I’m not ready to re-live any of that. The organization and my teammates, the support I’ve received from those guys, some of the classiest moves I’ve ever been associated with in baseball. It made me feel really good.”

Brandon Guyer and Joey Butler had RBI singles for the Rays, with a wild pitch and passed ball setting up both runs off Dickey. The Rays scored a third run off the knuckleballer with help from centerfielder Kevin Pillar’s throwing error and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a solo homer off Steve Delabar for a 4-2 lead in the eighth.

“Can’t be easy,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said of Dickey. “He did a great job tonight. I can’t imagine myself doing it.”

Edwin Encarnacion’s solo homer off Brad Boxberger, who earned his 19th save, trimmed Toronto’s deficit to one run in the ninth. The slugger has five hits - including four homers - in his last 56 at-bats against Tampa Bay.

Archer (9-4) improved to 3-0 against Toronto this season, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out 25 over 22 innings in those games. He is 6-1 in 12 career starts against the Blue Jays and held them hitless Tuesday until Dioner Navarro homered with one out in the fifth.

“Chris is going to be good for a very long time,” Dickey said. “He’s one of the best pitchers, not just in the American League, but the whole league.”

Navarro went deep against his former team for the second straight night, ending the Blue Jays’ string of consecutive scoreless innings against Archer at 18. Pillar singled leading off the sixth for the second hit off the Rays starter, and Navarro singled in the seventh to set up a Blue Jays run that scored on first baseman Jake Elmore’s error.

Archer’s winning streak is the longest of his career. It spans nine starts since his last loss at home against Texas on May 7.

Rays: LHP Matt Moore (elbow ligament replacement surgery) could make his final minor league rehab start Friday night for Triple-A Durham and return to the rotation next week. “If all goes well, he’ll be with us,” manager Kevin Cash said. … RHP Erasmo Ramirez (groin) will have a bullpen session in the next few days and may be back for a start June 30.

BATTER UP

Steven Stamkos and four other members of the NHL’s Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning - Ben Bishop, Alex Killorn, Brian Boyle and Braydon Coburn - took batting practice before the game. Bishop caught the attention of early arrivals in the crowd of 11,474, hitting four home runs. He joined Stamkos, Killorn and Coburn in throwing ceremonial first pitches. The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final in six games.

BULLPEN SHUFFLE

Gibbons said LHP Brett Cecil is out as closer, which could lead to RHP Roberto Osuna taking over the role. Osuna struck out five over two innings in Monday night’s 8-5 win over the Rays, picking up his first career save. Cecil has allowed 10 earned runs over his last 5 2-3 innings.